<p>PARIS &mdash; The last time Ann Li had stepped onto a tennis court at Roland Garros, she lost to a 182nd-ranked Russian opponent in qualifying for the clay-court Grand Slam.</p>
<p>The loss had left a bitter taste and the 20-year-old American wanted to erase the bad memory on her return to the French Open.</p>
<p>“It’s funny because I played there on the same court with the same ref, too, last year,” she said Tuesday. “So, I was like, I’ve got to redeem myself.”</p>
<p>That’s exactly what Li did.</p>
<p>Regarded as a rising star, Li did not face a break point on Court 9, lost only six points in the opening set and hit a total of 17 winners to dispatch Margarita Gasparyan 6-0, 6-1 and move into the second round. In just 46 minutes, on her debut in the main draw.</p>
<p>Having recovered from an abdominal injury, the 75th-ranked Li is back to competition after a two-month layoff.</p>
<p>“I had to kind of step back,” she said. “I was in Orlando and took some time and really wanted to heal fully because an ab is a tricky spot. I had some good preparation on the clay there and when I came here I was really excited.”</p>
<p>A former runner-up at Wimbledon in juniors, Li is not a natural on clay, but she said she prepared well for the tournament and feels more comfortable on the slow surface.</p>
<p>“Last year on the red clay it was my first time here, so it was a little bit uncomfortable, a little bit unfamiliar,” she said. “But I feel really good now.”</p>
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<p>GOODBYE VENUS</p>
<p>The oldest woman at Roland Garros this year, Venus Williams failed in her bid to win a 271st match at a Grand Slam event.</p>
<p>Aged 40, the American veteran lost her opening match at the clay-court major for the fourth straight year, defeated 6-3, 6-1 by Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia on Tuesday.</p>
<p>A runner-up in the French capital 19 years ago, the former top-ranked player dropped her serve six times and hit 23 unforced errors.</p>
<p>“I guess it happened. So moving on," she said when asked about her recent record in Paris.</p>
<p>Despite the loss, Venus will extend her Paris stay since she is scheduled to play doubles with 17-year-old Coco Gauff.</p>
<p>“You know, I think we’re hopefully going to be a perfect match," she said. “She’s so extremely talented that I’ll definitely be expecting her to do all the work."</p>
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